“The pursuit of knowledge is a key human endeavor and scientific collaboration is an excellent way to build bridges between different cultures and nations. I strongly believe that neuroscience research, for example, is an excellent platform to engage cultures and nations in solving some of the most devastating and widespread brain illnesses: these are some of the major global challenges of our time. It will take tremendous efforts and sustainable international collaborations to understand ‘how the brain works’ and ‘how it makes us who we are’. People from different cultures can bring different experiences and perspectives, so providing a great opportunity to harness the creative power of humankind to think outside the box and understand collectively how the brain works. I strongly support the idea of intercultural interactions by scientific collaboration in the ‘Twin Institutes’ as proposed by ‘The Science Bridge’. It will serve as a model for enduring scientific collaboration between people of different cultures and nations, working together side-by-side towards a common humanitarian goal – to solve some of the challenging scientific puzzles of our time while at the same time improving human relations for the well-being of humanity.”
Professor Nick Rawlins was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Development and External Affairs in October 2010. Professor Rawlins completed both his BA and DPhil at Oxford. His research spans areas including the neural basis of memory, brain degeneration, pain and anxiety, and has published widely in these fields. He was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2006. Professor Rawlins was Associate Head of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Division from 2008 until taking up his present post. He was a Junior Research Fellow at University College and then a Senior Research Fellow there before taking up a tutorial Fellowship which he held for more than 20 years, as University Lecturer and Sir Jules Thorne Tutorial Fellow. He served as Development Fellow at the college from 2001 to 2007 before moving to Wolfson College as a Professorial Fellow. He has served on a wide range of college, faculty, University and external funding committees.
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